Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the notion of Palestinian statehood in a news conference on Thursday, claiming it “would endanger the state of Israel.” But he also invoked geographical language that has become a point of bitter contention as Israel’s continued military bombardment of Gaza continues in response to the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, saying that “in the future, the state of Israel has to control the entire area from the river to the sea,” according to an English translation of the speech from Israeli news channel i24News.

Few who have followed the conversation about the deadly conflict in the Middle East these past several months could have missed the provocation in this remark: Israel and Zionists around the world have continually denounced the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” when used by those supporting Palestinian independence, saying it constitutes “eliminationist” or “genocidal” rhetoric aimed at Jewish people.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian-American woman in Congress, was censured by the U.S. House in November because of her criticism of Israel — and in part for her defense of this particular phrase, which she described as an “aspirational call” for “peaceful coexistence.” The Republican-led resolution for the serious disciplinary action was backed by 22 of her fellow Democrats.

This interpretation is also favored by critics of student protesters advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, like Bill Ackman, the hedge fund billionaire instrumental in forcing out Harvard University president Claudine Gay over a perceived failure to deal with antisemitism on campus.

X/Twitter‘s owner, Elon Musk, shortly after facing an unusual rebuke from the White House over his endorsement of an “abhorrent” antisemitic conspiracy theory in November, announced that the slogan would be treated as incitement to “extreme violence” and result in user suspension.

“Irony is dead,” tweeted Mehdi Hasan, the former MSNBC broadcaster whose show was canceled in November, prompting a backlash from fans who believe his criticism of Israel as a Muslim cable news host played a factor in the decision.

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